Daily Devotional

A Ministry of the Kerwin Baptist Church

July 20, 2020

by Kerwin Baptist

Bible Reading – Genesis 3

Genesis 3:1,4 KJV
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

“The oldest trick in the book,” is a phrase that refers to a trick that still works even though it has been around for a very long time. Genesis 3 is a record of the very first interaction between man and Satan, and in the account, we see a deception being used some 6,000 years ago that is sadly still an effective trick of the devil today. Quite literally the “oldest trick in the Book,” Satan deceives Eve in a way that is all too familiar even now.

We will notice in a few verses that Satan will get Eve to succumb to the lust of the flesh (she saw the tree was good for food), the lust of the eyes (pleasant to the eyes), and the pride of life (tree to be desired to make one wise) (I John 2:16). But before he ever points out the forbidden fruit, the subtle serpent does two destructive things that allow room for temptation in the first place.
The first thing Satan does is to question the accuracy of the Word of God (hath God said?). If He can bring into question what exactly God said, temptations will be much more effective. Ignorance of God’s Word is the most deadly and dangerous tool that Satan can use. It is no wonder the Psalmist said, Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee. David spoke often of meditating on God’s Word, and when faced with the temptations of Satan in the wilderness, Christ’s defense was always God’s Word. As Satan’s initial and greatest tool is ignorance of God’s Word, a knowledge and intimate relationship with God’s Word can be the best weapon against sin. In Ephesians 6, we see that the Word of God is a sword, specifically of the Spirit. Saturating our life with the Word of God allows the Spirit of God indwelling each believer to overcome any temptation. When we read Scripture, we are equipping the Holy Spirit to effectively transform our lives and to make us the Christians God wants for us to be!

Secondly, after Satan attacks the accuracy of God’s Word, He questions the authority of God’s Word (ye shall not surely die…). Up until this point, Adam and Eve did not even think about eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. But as Satan tricked Eve into questioning the accuracy of God’s Word as well as the Authority of God’s Word, a door was opened to temptation that should have never been. “Deuteronomy 6:5-9 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” It is very clear the place and authority that God wants His Word to have in our lives. The Word of God is to be everywhere and at all times a constant influence in our lives. It is, as a Baptist distinctive, the ultimate authority in our lives. It is the foundation of everything we believe and practice, and it should be a perpetual companion and guide.

– Eli Faulds